


It has a nice ring to it

by Multisakublossom



Category: Naruto, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All Might and Sakura went to UA together, F/M, Her fans aren’t the only ones that miss her, Her fans really miss her, Long lost friends reuniting, Sakura being a support hero with a healing quirk, Sakura goes missing after a confrontation with a villain, Scars, Some mentions of blood and other sensitive material, Someone dies but I won’t say who huehuehe, Yandere, almost love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 23:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17069012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multisakublossom/pseuds/Multisakublossom
Summary: All Might’s support hero, Healing Blossom, has been missing for three weeks.He’s weaker, without the assistance of her healing quirk, and people everywhere are horribly dismayed by the beloved girl’s disappearance. They’re all desperately holding onto hope that she will soon return.All Might just wishes they’d all move on already.





	It has a nice ring to it

**Author's Note:**

> That feeling when sudden inspiration hits and you get a weird idea and you end up writing a long ass one-shot on the spot. about SAKURA, OF COURSE. LOVE THAT GIRL.
> 
> (Also this is my first time writing for All Might, so I really hope he’s in character and stuff.)
> 
> So uh….enjoy this. It’s quite a ride, ehuehuehue…..

All Might’s quirk was fading faster today.

He typically could hold his powered-up form for at least an hour longer, but today he could already feel it slipping. He wouldn’t be able to continue his patrol for much longer.

He used to be able to hold it for longer, thanks to-

_Well…_ thanks to someone very special.

He no longer had their assistance however, nor the soft healing affect of their hands against him, giving him strength when the days got harder and harder.

Toshinori sighed, resigning to the undeniable fact that he’d have to call it quits early today, and leave his job to the younger, more capable heroes. Normally the thought would leave him feeling dismayed, but lately he was getting more and more excited about going home early. He couldn’t help the anticipation welling slowly in his heart. Warm butterflies swarmed from his stomach and spread to his extremities, leaving him feeling pleasantly buzzed.

As he looked around for a nearby escape route, perhaps a discreet alleyway or something he could go down to escape the public eye, he noticed someone staring at him. A little girl was hiding shyly behind a mailbox a few feet away, watching him nervously and clutching a notebook to her chest.

Toshinori blinked at her curiously, before offering a kind smile and beckoning her over. “Hello, little one!” He called out in his friendly, booming voice.

The little girl gasped, her face turning red when she realized she’d been caught. She quickly ducked behind the box, poking her head out shyly to peak at him. “…..Hello.” She mumbled back.

Toshinori continued to smile, even as he felt his form waning. He could make time for a fan, even if it was a little risky. “Did you need something, little hero?” He asked her with a laugh, posing for her dramatically. “Do not fear! There is no need to be shy in the presence of the almighty All Might!”

The little girl giggled happily, and Toshinori’s smile got triumphantly wider. As he reassured her with his typical, over-exaggerated demeanor, he couldn’t help but feel a familiar fondness taking root in his head. Toshinori had a soft spot for children, and he couldn’t help but think of how very nice it would be to have one of his own some day.

_Perhaps that day would come soon,_ he dared to think hopefully. He’d have to get home first though, of course. He knew _she_ liked kids too, so maybe-

“All Might-san…?” The girl questioned softly, as she began to shuffle away from her hiding place.

“Yes, little hero?” Toshinori asked kindly, crouching down to her level as she slowly walked over to him. “What is it that you need?”

Toshinori felt a stab of concern when the girl’s face fell, turning from nervous to disheartened. Still, he kept his smile wide for her, and he lowered his voice to a more soothing tone. It was easy. He’d been using that tone a lot lately. “What is your name, little one?”

“Haruka.” She mumbled softly, clutching her notebook tighter to her chest for comfort.

Toshinori flinched imperceptibly. Haruka. _Like the spring. Like-_

“Haruka, huh?” He repeated, reaching out to ruffle her dark hair. “That’s a very lovely name. Can you tell me what is troubling you, Haruka?”

Haruka shifted anxiously, bouncing on one foot to the other as she debated the question. Her brown eyes flitted about everywhere but at the hero in front of her. Finally, she nodded, and wordlessly thrust out her notebook at him. She gulped a little, her hands shaking as he took it from her.

_Ah. Just an autograph, then? That was a relief._

Toshinori held the book, easily accepting it as the reason for her hesitance. As friendly and open as he was, some children just couldn’t help but be nervous around him anyways. That was fine. He was more than experienced with getting people to open up to him.

He patted her on the head, still watching her patiently as she twiddled her fingers and refused to look at him directly. “A signature, then? Haha! I’d be honored! Why didn’t you just say so, little one-”

Toshinori froze, voice catching in his throat. He nearly coughed up blood in surprise as he turned the notebook over, and his heart stilled when he saw the brightly colored image on the front cover.

The notebook had a hero on the front. A very familiar one.

His always present smile almost dropped when he looked upon the picture of the girl, posing determinedly and hands glowing a soft green- _same color as her pretty, pretty eyes_ -and her hair _pink-_

“She’s my favorite hero,” Haruka whispered sadly, her tiny voice barely heard by Toshinori over the sound of his own frantically pounding heart, “I think she’s really cool…”

He snapped his head up jerkily, his thumb still tracing longingly and absentmindedly over the cover of the notebook. _Me too, she’s my favorite too,_ he almost wanted to say.

Toshinori felt a little crack make its way through his heart when Haruka let out a small, pitiful sniffle. His form, the little time he had left, was presently of no concern to him. His worry over keeping up his _facade_ was much higher. He could hardly stand the sight of this little girl trembling and holding the edges of her flowery dress tightly in her shaking little palms.

“She saved my mommy and me once….so I think she’s the best,” She whimpered, tears welling in her eyes, “I don’t see her on the news anymore. My mommy says she’s gone, and I miss her a whole lot.”

Toshinori swallowed thickly, trying to force down the lump in his throat. Self-loathing hit him like a wave as he spoke to the little girl. “Ah, is that so….? I’m very sorry to hear that…”

He tried to hand her notebook back to her, no longer feeling comfortable holding it, but she pushed it back at him fiercely. “I filled it with drawings for her,” Haruka informed him, a sudden spark of determination in her eyes, “I wanted to give it to her.”

Toshinori nodded hesitantly, his smile still strained. “I see. That’s very nice of you.”

Haruka stared at him, with her big watery eyes pleading, and she bowed as lowly as she could as she made a very desperate request of him. “I want her to come back. So that I can give it to her properly. So please, All Might-san, bring her back! Please!”

Toshinori thought he was going to throw up. Or scream. Or _both._

He had to go. _He had to._ He couldn’t be here anymore. _He couldn’t deal with this._

“I…I….” He stuttered, unable to agree to her plea, and unable to lie. “I…I don’t know if I can do that, l-little one….”

The girl flinched and bowed lower. “ _Please!_ I w-want to see her again! She was so n-nice, and I w-want to see her s-smile again!” She begged as tears cascaded freely down her cheeks, mourning over the memory of the kind woman who saved her life and looked at her with a smile that made her feel so safe.

Toshinori had to resist the urge to grab his chest when pain suddenly gripped him tight. He was hit with the sudden awareness that his form had maybe minutes left, and the waves of emotions he was being pelted with were not helping his concentration.

He wanted to tell this poor little girl that he understood, he understood how she felt more strongly than _anyone_ possibly could. _I want to see her smile again too,_ He thought regretfully.

Despite the overpowering sympathy he felt for this child, he also couldn’t help the irrepressible feelings of resentment that stung at his very core. Why? Why did everyone think they were entitled to that smile? Why did they all have to miss her so much? _Why couldn’t they just move on already?_

How could he move on and be content with _his_ life, when no one else would?

“Why…..?” Toshinori whispered venomously aloud, not speaking to anyone in particular. He cringed when the girl looked at him in confusion, and quickly stumbled to add on to his odd murmurings. “A-Ah…I m-mean….why is it, that you chose to come to _me_ for guidance on this matter….?”

He laughed weakly, trying to rebuild some of his confident persona for the weeping girl. “Not that I am not honored that you would share your troubles with me, of course! I am always happy to lend my assistance to those in need! I am just….curious is all, as to why you found me most suitable…?”

Haruka blinked, before wiping away her tears and looking at him with a fierceness that reminded him _so much_ of his old support partner, that it _burned._ “Because she was your support, right? And you smile just like she did. So I _know_ you must be a great hero! I know you can save her!”

Toshinori stood up abruptly, deciding with a frightening resolve that it was time for him to leave. “I….am very sorry to say, young Haruka, that since my support went missing, I have received no leads as to her whereabouts.” He spoke curtly, warm inflection still present, but words professional and distant.

Haruka’s eyes widened, face falling into despair at the omission. “You…you really don’t know where she is? Does that mean she might not ever come back?”

Toshinori gulped down his guilt, his limbs dripping in a cold sweat. “…Yes. Unfortunately, that is correct.”

He surprisingly wasn’t as bothered as much as he thought he would be, by the broken-hearted wailing that followed after his confession. He just watched sadly as the little girl cried her heart out, inwardly relieved that he had at least managed to tell her what needed to be said.

It was also a relief that there were no bystanders nearby to witness this debacle, because he wouldn’t know how to handle the curiosity that would form among the public when the news would come out that All Might of all people made a little girl cry.

Toshinori’s sense of duty won out over his desire to just walk away and leave this girl to deal with her pain alone, so he crouched back down and pulled the sobbing child into a hug. She cried against his chest for a while, and he murmured words of comfort to her in hopes of calming her faster.

“Young Haruka,” He started, pulling away to look at the girl with a firm expression. He spoke up again only after she sniffled and nodded at him, showing that she was listening to what he had to say, “I can not promise that our dearest _Healing Blossom_ will ever return to us. But I _can_ promise that I _will_ make sure she receives this lovely gift you made for her.”

Haruka stopped her crying, face turning confused, but hopeful, as she watched him wave her notebook back and forth. “You’ll do that…? But how?”

If she wasn’t so young, if she had been older and more perceptive, then perhaps Toshinori wouldn’t have bothered making any promises at all. “A hero always finds a way!” He answered her confidently, giving her a fierce thumbs up as he stood again. “So be strong, for both me and Healing Blossom! Do not cry, and have hope that we shall see our lovely heroine again!”

He breathed in hard, trembling just barely, as he finished off his complete _bullshit_ of a spiel. “I know for a fact, that if she was here, she would want you to be strong! It’s what she would’ve wanted, so please, have faith!”

It worked. Haruka’s eyes, now free of tears, looked up at him with a positively glowing hue. Her expression was one of complete awe and trust. “O-Ok,” She stuttered out, “I promise I will!”

“Excellent!” Toshinori replied in a hurried tone. “Now, farewell young hero! Have a wonderful day!”

Before Haruka could blink, the number one hero was gone.

And like he promised, he took her notebook with him.

 

* * *

 

_He rejects the proposition when it’s first brought up._

_“Ah, thank you for your input Nezu, but even with…my condition,” Toshinori hesitates, even though he knows he’s in a room with people he can trust, “I can assure you, I do not require a support hero.”_

_Nezu frowns, tilting his head speculatively. “I don’t understand why you’re so opposed to this, Yagi. A support hero could be very helpful to you during this time.”_

_Toshinori gulps, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. He understands the concern, he’s getting weaker afterall, and a support would be very helpful in certain situations._

_But he just can’t do it. He already feels terrible about his declining strength. Like he’s letting everybody down. Putting someone directly under his care, would be a stress he wouldn’t be able to handle. He just can’t stand the thought of someone looking up to him, fully trusting in him and his strength, only for him to fail them._

_And if, god forbid, they were to die on his watch….._

_“I will be fine, Nezu,” Toshinori insists with a strained grin, waving his hands in a reassuring manner, “I can’t think of anyone suitable for the position, anyways.”_

_He assumes that will be the end of it. The fact that there is currently no one who is both strong enough to keep up with him AND trustworthy enough to be privy to his secret should be enough to make Nezu drop the subject in its entirety._

_“Ah, is that it?” Nezu asks knowingly, already understanding Toshinori’s worry, “Well, in that case, there should be no problem, as we have already found someone who is befitting on both accounts.”_

_Toshinori coughs, blood spraying everywhere. “W-What..?!” He yells out in shock, panicking when he sees the responding gleam in the other man’s eyes. “Y-You mean you…?” He trails off, hoping that surely, Nezu would have the decency to not make any hasty decisions without first receiving his input._

_“Of course,” Nezu continues with a carefree grin, “They are more then fitting to assist you in terms of strength and quirk, and they have already been made aware of your situation.”_

_Toshinori responds by violently coughing up more blood. “WHAT?! You…you actually told them?! Already!?” He has to grab onto his seat to keep from falling over in his fright._

_How…how could he just do that? How could he share his most private secret, with a hero whose identity he didn’t even know…?!_

_“Yagi, I can promise you, I would not make this decision if I did not think you would be pleased with it,” Nezu assures him, his face taking on a reassuring expression, “I picked this hero very carefully, and I know you both will get along fine.”_

_Toshinori falls back in his chair and slumps over, feeling drained. “How can you be so sure….?” He asks, defeat in his tone. There’s no escaping this, apparently, so he’ll just have to resign himself to the fact that he has a mysterious new partner now._

_Nezu smiles almost mischievously. “Well, you did go to U.A together, and from what I recall, you and her were on very good terms.”_

_Toshinori blinks in surprise at that, mulling the new information over and rapidly scanning his memory. He can’t think of who Nezu could possibly be talking about. A female? Who attended U.A with him?_

_“Ah….can you give me a bigger hint than that….?” Toshinori asks reluctantly, raising his hand in dorkish inquisition._

_Nezu laughs and responds by ushering him out the door. “Why don’t you just go meet them yourself? I’m sure you’ll both be delighted to get reacquainted with one another!”_

_Toshinori stands and awkwardly shuffles out of the room, face painted with confusion. “A-Ah…where should I….?”_

_“Nurses office!” Nezu chirps brightly, before chuckling, “She always did spend a lot of time in there. Especially when you were there.”_

_Toshinori blinks as the door is closed on him. What….?_

_He….wasn’t talking about….he couldn’t possibly mean that-_

_He speed walks down to the nurse’s office as fast as he can, anxiety and curiosity gnawing away at him. There’s only one person that describes Nezu’s descriptions, and he knows that it can’t be her._

_He hasn’t seen her in so long. Hasn’t even heard from her in years._

_When he stumbles through into the nurse’s office, with more force then he intended, the first thing he sees is her wide green eyes looking up at him in surprise._

_“Sakura….?” Toshinori chokes out, disbelief in his voice._

_The pink haired woman stares at him in a similar amount of shock, as if she can’t believe what she’s seeing. “Toshi....” She mumbles softly, and his heart skips when she calls him by that old nickname he’s gone so long without hearing, “….It’s been a while, huh?” She whispers, smiling weakly, but also fondly at him._

_Toshinori gapes, fumbling for words. He swallows nervously and closes the door behind him before moving closer to her. “A-Ah….yeah, it has…”_

_Sakura stands up to face him, gently placing down the file she was reading to pass the time onto her chair. Toshinori follows the movement, and his heart drops when he sees it’s a file on him._

_Not that he could’ve hid who he was from her anyways, she could’ve easily recognized who he was, no matter what form he was in. Plus, Nezu said he already told her the truth, so there was no hiding it now._

_Sakura sees the look in his eyes as he looks at the file, and her hearts drops sadly. “I’m sorry.” She whispers._

_Toshinori jolts in surprise, and quickly waves his hands at her, laughing awkwardly to reassure her. “No, no, no, i-it’s fine, really! I….I don’t mind that you know, so it’s ok-”_

_“Not for that,” She whispers, biting her lip. He flinches when he sees moisture in her eyes. She laughs ruefully, “I mean, I am sorry that they told me without consulting you first. But mostly, I’m just…I’m just so s-sorry t-that…”_

_Sakura breaks into tears and lurches forward, swooping him up into a careful hug. His breath catches, his heart thudding in a way it hasn’t done so in years. “I’m so sorry that this happened to you, Toshi…”_

_Toshinori is frozen in place, unsure of how to respond. He’s…he’s missed her so much. Sakura was such a good friend of his way back when, and having her here in the flesh is such an odd feeling. It would be a delightful one, if she wasn’t so very sad. He didn’t want to ever see her sad._

_She was sad when she left too. When she bid him farewell, before getting on a flight to America, and going off to become a pro-hero in another country, miles away from him._

_The sorrow he felt when she vanished from his life was immeasurable. He held…feelings for Sakura. Feelings that followed him throughout his entire school years, and into adulthood as well. She moved before he had the chance to tell her, and while they kept in contact for as long as they could, the connection eventually fizzled away, broken and forgotten._

_But he still carried a torch for her, deep within his heart. A place that held onto the warm memories of her smile and her laugh, her scowls and her anger, her strength and the gentle healing tones of her quirk…he held onto it all._

_Toshinori has the chance now, to hold her here, in person, as well. So, he does. He wraps his arms around her tightly, returning the embrace with vigor. He buries his face into her neck and resists the urge to tell her how much he loves her right on the spot._

_“It wasn’t your fault,” He whispers back to her, “It’s just the price we pay as heroes.”_

_Sakura laughs wetly, tugging him tighter against her. “I missed you, Toshi.”_

_Toshinori tries, he really does, but he can’t resist the urge to press a gentle kiss against her temple. She doesn’t react to it negatively however, and that only deepens his affection for her. Maybe, he was not the only one whose heart suffered from their separation._

_“I missed you too.” He mumbles against her hair, lips still pressed against her head._

_He’d only ever kissed her like that one other time. When the Sports Festival was about to occur, and she was so nervous, so discouraged by her lack of physical abilities, he couldn’t help but kiss her forehead in a reassuring manner. For luck, he had said when she questioned the action with a bright red face._

_Sakura’s lack of combative abilities didn’t place her very far in the event, but she still did very well, all things considering. Toshinori had been so proud, until after the event, when he learned that the only internships she had been offered for her performance, were ones that that took place overseas. Sakura had been hesitant to leave her home, but had followed the opportunity anyways. Eventually, after graduation, she accepted a long-term offer at one of the foreign companies._

_“I missed you so much.” He mumbles with a fiercer intensity, hugging her so tight that there isn’t an inch of space between them._

_“T-Toshi,” Sakura chokes out a laugh, “T-That’s too tight, I can’t breathe.”_

_Toshinori lets go of her immediately, surveying her with an embarrassed flush. “Ah, sorry!”_

_“You’re still so strong, Toshi,” Sakura says fondly, observing him with her bright, caring eyes, “You’re just as strong as always.” She whispers it intensely, gripping his upper arms gently as she pulls away._

_“A-Ah…” He stutters, face turning a bright red hue as she compliments him, “N-Not really….I’ve…actually gotten quite weak…as you can see…” He confesses as much reluctantly, not wanting her to see him as lesser then the idealized image she had of him when she left years ago._

_“That isn’t what I mean,” Sakura says with a shake of her head, “I’m really proud of you, Toshi. For trying so hard, despite…” She gulps, forcing down her sorrow as she looks over his skeletal body, “…Despite everything.”_

_Oh god, Toshinori thinks, he can’t take this. He can’t take how kind and amazing and perfect she is-_

_“You’re amazing, Toshi.” Sakura says to him firmly, her green eyes burning from the desire to reassure her hurting, long lost friend._

_When she leans up and presses a soft kiss to the bridge of his nose, Toshinori nearly self-destructs._

_He doesn’t. Instead, he just hacks up a violent stream of blood in surprise._

_Sakura pulls back, alarm on her features. Toshinori covers his mouth in shame and desperately tries to apologize. “S-Sakura, I-”_

_She doesn’t listen. She’s already pulling him over to one of the nurse’s cots and forcing him to sit down. She leaves his line of sight for a moment, but before he can call out to her in dismay, she returns with a napkin and starts dabbing away the blood on his face. Her concerned expression doesn’t fade for a second. She just wipes the red fluid away, determined and caring the whole time._

_Toshinori sits there in silence, feeling like he’s in high school, having her fuss over him, all over again. It’s such a nice feeling, and he wants to drown in it forever despite his desire to apologize for inconveniencing her._

_“Does that happen often?” Sakura asks him gently, her ‘doctor mode’ turned on. “I read a brief mention of it in the file I was given…”_

_“Yes…” Toshinori nods, not wanting to worry her but unable to lie._

_Sakura bites her lip, forcing down her despair over her friend’s pain. “Let’s…let’s talk about something else, ok? While I look you over, let’s….just talk about something else.”_

_Toshinori blinks, puzzled, but nods and accepts the request. They spend the next few minutes in quiet and pleasant conversation, idly discussing the happenings of the past few years of their lives, as Sakura runs him through a basic medical check-up. Toshinori is content with the simplicity of it all, and he flushes red when Sakura laughs cheerfully, after he informs her that his Americanized styled hero costume was inspired by her becoming a pro hero overseas._

_When she gets to the part that he’s been dreading, and asks for him to remove his shirt, he doesn’t even try to deny her desire to examine him. He knows that’s how she copes. It’s how she’s always coped when someone she cared for was injured. He still remembers the training sessions back during high school, how whenever a classmate was hurt, Sakura would rush over worriedly, hands glowing and demanding they remove their shirts, so she could inspect them more thoroughly. She was a healer, both in quirk and heart, and she couldn’t be satisfied until she was one hundred percent certain that she had fixed every ailment of her patients._

_It was shameful of Toshinori to admit it, but he always hated when she’d run her healing palms over anyone that wasn’t himself. He still remembers the instinctive desire to deck a flustered classmate that once had the privilege of feeling her hands all over his bruised chest._

_As Sakura removes his shirt, he feels a hot wave of shame and regret wash over him. He doesn’t want her to see him like this. Ugly and scarred and broken. He wishes she could’ve touched him so delicately when he was back in his prime. If he only she could’ve seen him then, then maybe-_

_There’s a harsh intake of breath from her as she sees his scar, and Toshinori resists the urge to cover it with his scrawny hands._

_There’s no need. Because Sakura presses her own hands over it, pushing her healing powers into the injury without hesitation. Toshinori’s back arches, and he bites his lip to resist the urge to moan at the sensation. Her healing always did feel so lovely. Like warm, soothing love, pouring into his veins._

_Sakura doesn’t look at him with disgust. Just sorrow, regret, and concern. “I can’t heal this.” She whispers, loathing and defeat in her tone. She already knows his injury is one she can’t do anything about._

_Toshinori knows it’s herself she’s loathing, and even though it would crush him, he’d rather her hate him then hate herself. “No one can,” He tells her firmly, “Do not blame yourself for the impossible.”_

_Sakura doesn’t respond verbally, she just nods her head jerkily and stifles her soft cries. When she finally pulls away, Toshinori feels significantly better, and he makes sure to tell her so._

_“I haven’t felt this good in years.” Toshinori whispers to her gratefully, feeling warm and pleasant all over. The ever-present pain in his bones has faded to something nearly imperceptible, and even though the injury is still there, in all it’s horrifying glory, he feels strong and stable. Like he can take on the world._

_“But I didn’t fix it.” Sakura responds dejectedly. Temporarily curing him of pain would never be enough for her._

_Toshinori’s smile twitches momentarily at her sorrow, feeling her sadness like a punch to the gut, but he doesn’t hesitate to smile even wider for her after the pain of the blow has faded. “It’s enough,” He tells her firmly, holding her hands tightly, and speaking to her good-naturedly, “I can see why they thought you’d be great as my support.”_

_Toshinori is delighted by the soft pink hue that appears across the bridge of her nose._

_Sakura coughs awkwardly and turns away to hide her flustered face, before pulling a container out of her bag. Toshinori quirks an eyebrow at it, and she explains that it’s an ointment for scars._

_He tells her that it’s unnecessary, that she doesn’t have to go that far for him, but she just smiles and says, “A great support looks after their hero.”_

_Toshinori wants to cry from pure joy. He just can’t argue with that._

_The next thing he knows, she is up close and personal, rubbing the cool cream over his midsection. He shivers under her touch. It feels so intimate, and he can’t help but feel bad as her perfect fingers slide across the dips and cracks in his marred flesh._

_Toshinori speaks up, voice soft and remorseful. “I never wanted you to see this,” He admits sadly, “I never wanted you to see me like this.”_

_He continues speaking before she can respond, looking at her with pained eyes. “But you know…I’m glad to see you again. So, I’m glad that you know this part of me.”_

_Toshinori means it. He means it with every fiber of his being. Even if it was selfish, even if he can see her heart breaking from worry, he means it. Anything to be close to her again._

_Sakura looks at him, lips quivering and eyes fierce as a glint of anger appears in them. His heart keeps pounding fondly even as she starts to berate him._

_(Ah, her anger was just as invigorating as her affection. She wouldn’t be Sakura if she didn’t scold him along with the care she bestowed upon him.)_

_“I know,” Sakura eyes are narrowed in a furious expression, even as she runs her fingers delicately over his scar, making him tremble, “But I still wish you had told me about this yourself. I can’t believe you didn’t trust me with this….is this why you stopped calling me? Why you fell out of touch with me?” She looks so upset and disappointed, her expression turning solemn and bitter as she looks down at his injury._

_Toshinori inhales deeply, ashamed because his incident was indeed why he slowly began to stop contacting her._

_Before Toshinori could apologize for that, and for keeping his shameful secret from her, she lifts her head to give him a blinding, heart stopping smile._

_“Well.…it’s ok,” She says forgivingly as she takes his hands gently in her own, holding them tight, “I’m here for you now, and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”_

_Sakura tugs his hands forward to press them over her heart, and Toshinori follows the motion, memorized, “I promise,” She swears, “I’ll be the best support hero ever.”_

_Toshinori chokes, blood welling in his throat and reignited affections blooming violently in his chest. “A-Ah, y-yes,” He stutters out awkwardly, unable to express his gratitude in a more eloquent way. It simply isn’t possible; no words can possibly describe how he feels. His smiles, flustered. “Here’s to being partners, then.”_

_“Partners!” Sakura chirps happily, giving his hands a determined squeeze. The frustrated tears that had previously prickled the corners of her eyes are gone._

_“Yeah,” Toshinori mumbles, staring at this lovely woman in an adoring daze, and wanting so much more from her than just that, “….Partners.”_

* * *

 

The memory followed him like a cloud of doom as he stumbled home. Always hovering over him, mocking him with its loveliness.

Toshinori wished he could experience her kindness again. That’s all he needed from her.

He could live without her rage, without her fire, and even without her quirk. He wouldn’t live well, and he would miss these things, of course, but his body would slowly crumple away with or without her precious healing and her gloriously angry eyes.

Toshinori was going to die, eventually, and that was fact. But he felt he would die so much faster without Sakura’s smile. _Without her love._

He laughed bitterly as he clutched the notebook the little girl had given him. He felt bad for young Haruka, and he understood her desire to see his beloved’s smiling face return to the world of heroes, but he could not allow her, or anyone else, that privilege.

It had been for him, and him alone.

And he had lost it.

Toshinori could barely remember the last time Sakura smiled at him, and he’d do anything to get it back.

He’d failed her, just as he feared he would. He’d made a promise to himself, that day they became partners and she swore to let no bad come to him, to do the exact same thing and prevent any harm from ever befalling her.

Just three weeks ago, they’d been attacked by the fiercest villain they’d ever faced during their time together as official partners, and Sakura….Sakura had….she-

Toshinori choked, leaning against the stone wall of his apartment complex. He’d made it home after his encounter with Sakura’s young fan, miraculously managing to avoid a breakdown on the way, but now it had caught up to him. He leaned his weak, frail form against the wall’s surface and sobbed.

_“Sakura! SAKURA!” Toshinori screams desperately, holding her quivering, bloody body in his arms._

_She trembles violently, forcing a shaky smile for him as she presses her glowing hands to her wound. A large, deep gash is spread across her entire front, seeping a sticky maroon red over her tattered costume._

_“I-I-I’m….f-f-fiiiiine,” Sakura breathes out weakly, “a-a-are y-you….o-o-okaaayy….?”_

_He is. Toshinori is completely uninjured, and he hates himself for it. She took that hit for him, protected him just like she swore to. He wishes she hadn’t._

_They are all alone._

_The villain was a dangerous one. The mission top-secret, and far from any potential viewers. He is incapacitated now, but not before he’d already dealt the damage to Toshinori’s precious partner._

_There is no one to help them. No one to save Sakura from dying from pain and blood loss. She can only rely on her own skills as Toshinori holds her as gently and comfortingly as he can, silently urging her to succeed._

_Toshinori glances over at the unconscious villain, his electric blue eyes taking on a hateful, infuriated glow. He wants to go over there, teach that bastard a lesson, but he will not leave Sakura’s side. Not until he knows for certain if she is going to live, or die._

_And as soon as he knows….well….they are all alone out here._

_So regardless of her fate, be it positive or negative…_

_Toshinori is going to make him **pay** for hurting her._

_They are all alone._

_No one will know what comes next._

Toshinori breathed deeply, in and out, in and out. He pulled away from the wall, wiped his tears, and laughed brokenly to himself.

After that fight, no one knew.

No one.

Sakura..…the villain….they were both gone to the world. Missing. _Dead._

Well, one of them was.

But nobody needed to know that.

Toshinori made his way up the steps to his apartment, his shambling steps increasing in speed as the warm butterflies started instinctively swarming in his gut again.

Even on his worst days, he couldn’t help but be happy knowing what he had to come home to.

“I’m home.” Toshinori called into the apartment as he closed the door behind him. He knew he would get no response, but he liked to imagine there would come a day when he would.

He didn’t retire to the bedroom right away, despite the butterflies violently pulling in that direction. He was giddy, he was nervous, and he wanted to go **_now,_** but he knew better than to go in there without being prepared first.

Toshinori took his time making a nice dinner, one that was tasty and easy on the stomach at the same time. He hoped it would be eaten this time. He put the plate of food on a tray, along with some medical supplies. The typical stuff he used. Painkillers, bandages, and the ointment his dear partner made for him.

He didn’t forget to place Haruka’s notebook on the tray as well.

Toshinori took in a deep breath, silently encouraging himself before opening their bedroom door.

He was more excited than he realized, because he stumbled through into the room with more force then he intended. The first thing he saw- _as always-_ is dull green eyes, looking up at him in resigned acknowledgement.

“….Hi, Sakura.” Toshinori rasped out, a smile stretching across his blushing face.

The pink haired woman lying on the bed stared at him, observing him with her sad, tired eyes. Sakura looked away with a muffled sigh, uncaring of the dent the action put in Toshinori’s heart. She turned her whole body away, snuggling under the covers to escape his adoring gaze.

She didn’t even flinch at the rattling sound that followed her movements.

She never flinched at it anymore.

Toshinori’s smile faded at her cold reaction, but he couldn’t be upset with her. He knew she couldn’t smile or greet him like he wanted her to anyways.

He walked over to her and brushed the excess coils of _chains_ that laid on the bed out of his way, so he had room to sit beside her. “I missed you.” He mumbled to her as ran his fingers over her hair.

Sakura shivered and closed her eyes but said nothing. She couldn’t.

Toshinori gently eased her up into a sitting position, and she let him, unable to resist. She didn’t care enough to pointlessly try. “I brought you some dinner.” He informed her kindly, sitting close enough to her side that he could splay the tray over both of their laps.

Sakura looked down at the steaming white rice and miso soup dispassionately, ignoring the way her stomach growled loudly and longingly.

Toshinori frowned at the sound. “You have to eat,” He said firmly, reaching up to her face. He hesitated, giving her a warning look, “Promise not to scream?” He asked as he plucked at the cloth around her mouth.

Sakura nodded wordlessly after a pause, deciding it wasn’t worth it. Toshinori gave her a small smile and pulled the oppressive gag away from her mouth. She breathed in deeply, just to enjoy being able to breathe through her mouth again. She saw Toshinori flinch out of the corner of her eye, ready to cover her mouth again just in case she was readying a scream.

She sent him a glare, and he shrugged apologetically for doubting her. “My hands too,” She hissed at him, lifting the bound appendages up to his eye level, “I can’t eat like this.”

Toshinori shook his head, chuckling ruefully and giving her a joking pout. “You tried to punch me last time,” He stated bluntly, denying her request, “….I can just feed you.”

Sakura’s eyes burned hatefully at him. He saw the way she clenched her bound hands into fists, and grinded her teeth at the very thought of him assisting her.

Her eyes were so beautiful.

Even angry, they were so very lovely. As he thought, he could live without her anger, but he _would_ still miss it. He’d miss the way her dark pupils dilated, sitting stark against the smoldering green of her irises.

But Toshinori would still trade her anger and hatred, for smiles and love in a heartbeat.

Why was the thought of him helping her so detestable to her? He just couldn’t understand it.

“Sakura…please don’t be difficult today. You really need to eat, it’s been so long since you did….I’m worried for you.” Toshinori tried to be gentle, to be patient and appeal to her needs as he persuaded her.

He scooped up a hunk of rice with his chopsticks and lifted it to her lips. Sakura’s eyes followed the movement, losing some of their fire in wake of hunger. She bit her lip to resist the urge to give in, so focused on the idea of food that she didn’t see the way Toshinori’s eyes darkened, trained on her mouth. He gulped and looked away, forcing down the desire that burned at his soul.

Sakura finally surrendered and leaned in, opening her mouth and letting him feed her. Toshinori’s expression lit up into one of joy. He couldn’t help but grin when she relented, thankful that she was willing to compromise for the sake of her health. He fed her in silence, giving her bite after bite until she finished. After they moved onto the soup, and finished that as well, he set the tray to the side and started to ready the medical supplies he had prepared for her.

Sakura eyed his movements uneasily, shifting quietly away from him. She hated this part. God, she hated it. “You don’t need to do that,” She whispered desperately, “I can heal myself…if you’d just-”

“I told you I can’t do that,” Toshinori interrupted in a harsh tone, pausing his fiddling momentarily. He could feel her eyes on his back, watching him with rising anxiety.

He turned to her, and seeing the uncertainty on her face made his eyes soften. “I’ll make it fast, ok? It’ll be over before you know it.” He whispered in the soothing tone he’d been using so frequently as of late.

Sakura nodded, swallowing back tears thickly. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.

When Toshinori turned his back to her again, a sudden burst of defiance bloomed throughout her, and she decided she wouldn’t let him touch her either.

Without thinking, Sakura lifted her legs and kicked Toshinori as hard she could in his back. He fell off the bed with a pained gasp, and she followed after him, quickly looping her arms around the back of his head and pressing her bound hands against his throat. He made a loud choking sound when she pulled back _hard,_ her fists pressing harshly against his windpipe.

She ignored her still present desire not to hurt him, pushing it deep down in favor of escape. If she could just knock him out long enough to-

The next thing Sakura knew, she had been ripped away from him, and thrown back onto the bed. Her head banged against the headboard on the way, causing her to go limp for a second. She dizzily registered Toshinori’s large, hulking figure pressing down on top of her, breathing heavily.

He’d gone into his ‘All Might’ form, just to subdue her.

Sakura couldn’t see him very well, her eyes blurry from the pain. She just laid there, back sinking into the cushions as she unfocusedly looked up at his muscular form. “W-Wha….?” She slurred quietly.

 He looked….kinda _angry._

Sakura whimpered as he grabbed her arms and pinned them high above her head. His grip was tight, but not enough to hurt. Even when he was angry, he wouldn’t hurt her. But it was still so frightening to know he _could,_ if he really wanted.

Sakura blinked away the spots in her vision, mumbling incoherently as she tried to get a better look at him. Gauge his reaction, see just how upset he was. If she knew, maybe she could prepare better for whatever punishment he had in mind for her. Surely, she’d pushed him over the edge this time.

Frightened thoughts of him leaving her here, isolating her, locking her up tighter, blindfolding her and more all swarmed her dizzy head in a frenzied panic.

Sakura was just coherent enough to feel him pull up her shirt, and the sensation of her skin being exposed made her gasp, terrified. “D-Don’t. Please don’t.” She begged blearily.

Toshinori didn’t respond, and Sakura wanted to cry when she felt his large fingers run over her stomach. She shivered as tingles of residual pain stung at her abdomen. Her wound still hadn’t healed all the way. The slash, dealt to her by that villain weeks ago, still sat jagged and ugly across her front.

But Sakura had lived.

It was a miracle, really. Not only that she’d been able to heal the injury enough to prevent her death, but also that she hadn’t succumbed to blood loss.

It still hurt though. The skin was just starting to scar, an irritated bright pink, tinged red where it still sometimes opened and bled. It kept her bed-ridden, and every day, Toshinori would come home and re-bandage it, much to her distaste.

Sakura didn’t want him touching her. Not after what he’d done.

She’d been so relieved when she first woke up, alive, but it had turned quickly to confusion and fear when Toshinori revealed that he was not intending to let her leave. She thought, at first, that he’d meant he would release her _after_ she recovered, but he quickly explained that she wouldn’t be leaving then either.

It was too dangerous out there, he’d told her. He wanted to protect her.

He wanted to _never_ run the risk of losing her like that again.

_Sakura had felt absolutely numb with terror when he looked at her, half crazed from anger and worry, and told her what he’d done to the villain that had harmed her._

“It reopened,” Toshinori mumbled unhappily as he surveyed her the blood leaking from her front, “…You shouldn’t have done that. You’re just hurting yourself…”

Sakura didn’t want to feel bad, but she couldn’t help it when he sounded so defeated and sad for her sake. Like her pain was an actual bane on his existence. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, biting her lip and ignoring the conflicting feelings in her heart.

Toshinori responded by cupping her cheek gently and turning her head back towards him. “Sakura, look at me.” He pleaded with her softly.

Sakura sniffled and opened her eyes, expecting to see a displeased expression boring down on her. Instead, she just saw his desperate, loving face, stained with oncoming tears. “I don’t want you hurting yourself, ok? I don’t want to see you in pain.” He said to her, smiling caringly for her even as his eyes leaked.

Sakura choked, unable to stop herself from crying as well. Why…why was he so hard to hate?

Why, when she struggled and cursed him, did he still have to look at her with patient, loving eyes?

She’d almost rather him be cruel to her.

Sakura laid there in tortured silence, passively letting him rub ointment over her scar. She squirmed, uncomfortable with the way he restrained and touched her, and feeling sick at the warmth that burned across her skin under his fingers. A disgusting kind of deja-vu washed over her when she remembered the way she used to do this for him, for his scars. That’s probably why he was so insistent on doing this for her, out of some sick need to repay her. She didn’t need to be repaid. She just needed to be _let out._

When he finished and re-wrapped her, he pulled her shirt back down and leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead. “See? Easy. We’re all done.”

Sakura flinched when his lips touched her head, and she instinctively reared back and headbutted him. “Don’t you _dare_ ,” She hissed venomously at him, glaring viciously.

Toshinori inhaled deeply as he was knocked back, reaching up slowly to cover his face in accepting silence. He said nothing for a moment, before laughing ruefully. The laugh increased in volume, before becoming boisterous and creepily reminiscent of his over-exaggerated ‘hero laugh.’

Sakura watched anxiously, feeling dread coil inside her and replace her rebellious streak.

The dread spiked unwillingly when his laugh broke into violent hacks, blood spraying all over him.

Sakura’s concern couldn’t be helped. Caring for Toshinori was a part of her she couldn’t repress, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how angry she was with him.

She watched him, horrified as blood dribbled down his chin. “You…you sh-shouldn’t be in that form.” She choked out, knowing that he was overusing his quirk by reactivating it after a long day of hero work.

Toshinori shook his head, still laughing wetly. “You’re strong. How else can I hold you down?” He asked her. The double meaning, the fear of losing his quirk- _and by extension, losing her-_ ringing in obvious resentment. “I’m too weak for you in my other form.”

Sakura couldn’t be mad, she just felt pity and terror for this poor, broken man.

Her breath quickened as she panicked for his sake, and she voiced her concern before she could stop herself, unable to damper her want to see him free of pain. “ _Toshi….y-you…p-please change back-!”_ She cried out in desperation.

Toshinori stopped laughing.

He snapped his head up to look at her in shock. “W-What did you call me…?” He whispered, hope reverberating in his quiet, deep tone.

Sakura hadn’t called him _Toshi_ since he first brought her here and confessed his plans to keep her locked away from the world. Nor had she looked at him in true fear. She simply had been far too resilient to let him see that she was scared of him. But now, when he was in pain, he could see real terror in her eyes, as she looked at the red on his face and called out his name.

_It was for him. It was all for him._

_She was terrified for him._

**_She still cared._ **

“I love you.”

Sakura gaped at him, eyes wide in horror when the confession tumbled out of his mouth.

Toshinori just looked back at her obsessively, his own eyes manic in their devotion. Even now, after everything, he had never once uttered those three words to her before. It had never felt right, admitting how he felt verbally, even if he was certain he showed it enough through his actions.

He didn’t want to tell her he loved her when he was certain she hated him for what he’d done.

These past three weeks, Sakura had shown him nothing but anger, apathy, sorrow, and resentment. He was losing hope that he would ever see her affectionate side ever again.

Toshinori felt so giddy when he saw the worry in her eyes, that he couldn’t help but let himself utter those three, meaningful words.

She cared. She _cared_ for him.

It wasn’t love, but it was a start.

Toshinori laughed again, this time out of genuine happiness. He scooped Sakura up into a hug, ignoring the sound of protest she made when he wrapped his arms around her waist and tumbled gleefully against her.

He flopped onto the bed, rolling with her until she laid on top of him. He held her close, murmuring affectionate, sweet nothings to her paralyzed form.

Toshinori just wanted to hold her. Just for a bit. Then, he’d revert back to his weaker form and quell the sweet concern his love had for him. “If you’re worried for me, then don’t fight me so much,” Toshinori laughed happily, “I wouldn’t have to use this form if you were more agreeable.”

He felt her stiffen in his arms, and he knew he made her angry again.

Toshinori didn’t want to go back to her anger, not just yet, so he squeezed her just a _little_ too tight in warning. She let out a cute little squeak when the constriction increased, the pressure making her gasp, and he chuckled warmly at the heavenly sound.

“I love you.” Toshinori said to her again, nuzzling against her. It felt like a weight had lifted off of him, now that he knew he had a place in her heart, and that he could voice the place she had in _his_ heart.

Sakura was too numb, too in shock, to protest as he cuddled her and started to tell her about his day. She couldn’t fathom how quickly he shifted gears, wildly switching from remorseful sorrow, to forceful rage, to suffocating affection.

“I have something for you. A gift from a fan.” Toshinori grinned at her, sitting up and letting her slide down into his lap.

He reached over and grabbed the notebook off of the tray and handed it to her. Sakura observed, hesitant and confused.

“A…notebook…? Of me?” Sakura asked slowly, looking at the cover with a deep-rooted sense of disappointment. It was a picture of her in action, and she was disheartened to think that those days of hero work would be over for good.

The feeling clutched her tighter, when Toshinori explained that a little girl, whose life she had once saved, had been the one to gift it to her. She flipped through the book briefly, observing the sweet, childish drawings with a heart wrenching sadness.

“It’s quite cute, isn’t it?” Toshinori chuckled, oblivious to Sakura’s despair, “She was a very sweet child, to make something so thoughtful.”

Sakura swallowed thickly, as she looked at a particular drawing of her holding hands with a brown haired little girl. ‘My favorite hero’ was written in big, bold crayon above the picture.

“..….Yeah. Yeah, I bet she was.” Sakura mumbled longingly.

She doesn’t notice the hopeful way Toshinori looks at her, misinterpreting her longing for the past as something else.

“She said her name was Haruka,” Toshinori whispered warmly, gently removing the notebook from her hands and placing it on the bedside table, “She reminded me of you somewhat.”

“Yeah? Did you want to kidnap _her_ too?” Sakura asked him dryly, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

“Don’t be mean now,” Toshinori sighed and patted her head, ignoring her cynical response.

Sakura felt a cold sense of foreboding as Toshinori ran his fingers through her hair and let his touch linger a little too intimately at the base of her neck.

Sakura froze in horror and felt bile rise in the back of her throat at what he said next.

“But, you know….I wouldn’t mind having a daughter like that.”

Sakura didn’t respond, absolutely paralyzed in fear. Toshinori kept talking, rambling in an excited tone of voice.

“Yeah…a little kid of our own…we’d be such a good family. Haruka is such a nice name for a little girl, isn’t it?”

Sakura started to hyperventilate.

“I wonder which of us she’d look more like…? I hope she has your eyes. Green eyes and blond hair-”

Sakura pushed away from him, shaking violently. She fell onto her side, body curling into the covers defensively.

“No. _No.”_ She hissed, trying to mask her fear as he looked down at her with a confounded expression.

Maybe it was because he was still high off the joy that was coursing through his veins, but he genuinely was at a loss when Sakura rejected his domestic musings.

“….Do you not like the name…? I thought Haruka had a nice ring to it.”

Sakura stared at him, scared and dumbfounded. An uncomfortable smile spread shakily across her face, and she started to laugh distortedly because she didn’t know how else to react. She couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“No. No way. Haruka is an awful name,” The words felt hollow as they spilled out of Sakura’s mouth humorlessly. She shook her head, trying to stop the haze of terror from making her respond so poorly to the situation. “I mean, _Haruka Haruno…? Spring flower of spring field?_ That’s terrible. Absolutely awful. That’s about as creative as naming your kid Sakura just because she has _pink hair.”_

Sakura’s chest heaved when she finished ranting. She felt like she was having an out of body experience, her mind floating away to someplace fuzzy and free of Toshinori’s sick fantasies.

Toshinori’s face remained blank for a moment.

He couldn’t decide whether to react with concern or confusion, but her smile _-even though it was one of broken disbelief-_ made the decision for him. Pure elation burst in chest at the sight, grateful to see her smile in _any_ kind of way. Even if it was nervous and terrified in form.

It’d been so long since he’d seen it. He’d take it.

He’d take whatever he could get from her, and keep hoping and hoping for more.

Toshinori started to laugh with her, slow, sick, and delusional. “Of course. I suppose you’re not one for alliteration.”

Sakura stiffened as he leaned over her hunched up body, his electric blue eyes gleaming down at her ominously in the dark of the bedroom. She couldn’t breathe.

Toshinori cupped her cheek and pressed his lips sweetly to her forehead. She was too numb to reject the gesture this time. “I still think Haruka Haruno is a cute name, though.”

He pulled back and grinned at her lovingly. “But… I was thinking….”

Toshinori pressed the full weight of his diminishing form against her, until their chests were flush against each other. Sakura sucked in a breath to keep herself from screaming.

_“Haruka **Yagi** has a much nicer ring to it.”_

**Author's Note:**

> yikes. uhhhh… wow. yikES.
> 
> BUT ANYWAYS, I totally framed it to make it seem like All Might was sad at the beginning because Sakura was dead or missing or something. But no, he was actually just keeping her locked up while everyone thought she was missing. AND he was just sad because he’s guilty and depressed at having lost the “old her,” who was always kind to him. The “new her” hates his guts for locking her up.
> 
> Lmao I uh…was actually kind of tempted to abandon the twist yandere ending, and have it end with Sakura ACTUALLY being dead? Like…and All Might would’ve brought the notebook to her by bringing it her grave instead. Which….would’ve been really sad.
> 
> All might is totally the kind of yandere, who when away from his captive, feels horrible and guilty and constantly wonders “why am I doing this,” but then the second he’s within a few feet of them, he’s giddy and happy and all “oh yeah, THAT’S why. I love them so much!!” Like he’s relatively composed when he isn’t around them, but he loses all sense the second he’s with them.
> 
> All Might is also the kind of yandere that like, will be super depressing and self-loathing. He’s attentive to your needs, and he’s so sweet and pathetic that you can’t help but feel tempted to drop the resilience? But that’s a bad fucking idea because the second you show him even a little good will, he’ll immediately escalate his behavior and become way more extra in his advances. Like…a sort of “give him an inch, he’ll take a mile” kind of thing. He wont even realize he’s gotten worse, because he’ll be so high from being treated positively.
> 
> Also All Might totally killed that villain that nearly killed Sakura. If like…that wasn’t obvious, aha.
> 
> Uhhh, anyways….if the ending bummed you out, then feel free to imagine a rad alternative ending where Haruka was actually Toga in disguise, and the notebook is actually full of escape plans! And also a friendly invitation to join the league of villains because All Might is a stinky. >:(


End file.
